Where Can You See Ancient Britain At Its Best?
Britain offers it all for those who want to find it, charming villages, bustling cities, towering mountains, and gorgeous acres upon acres of woodland, fields, gardens, beaches, and more. But for those who want to see the truly ancient, you need to start looking a little closer. Here, we’re going to look at some of the places where you can see some of Britain at its very oldest.
Midhowe Broch
Did you know that we have a fort that has been standing since the Iron Ages? The Brochs of Scotland are primarily dotted throughout the north, primarily, but few are as complete as the Midhowe Broch. This defensive structure is thought to have acted as a stronghold, and something of a flex, of the elite tribe of the area at the time, projecting their power to their neighbors.
Stonehenge
Never in your life have stones been quite as impressive. If you’re in Wiltshire, then visiting Stonehenge is a must-do. However, while seeing the mighty stone circle, amongst the most photographed in the world, is greatly impressive, you should take the time to explore the site around it, however, with its wide range of barrows, burial mounds, and earthen structures.
Uley Long Barrow
The last of the prehistoric sites on the list, this barrow is a funerary monument situated in Stroud, Gloucester. Uley Long Barrow, aka, Hetty Pegler’s Tump, comes to us from the Neolithic periods and, still standing thanks to reconstructions throughout the 19th century, it held a host of Neolithic pottery, human remains, and even Roman coins. This suggests that we modern folk aren’t the first to have disturbed this ancient burial ground and that it has served as a scene of inspiration even thousands of years into the past from now.
Hadrian’s Wall
Nowadays, it might seem strange to imagine that Scotland could have struck anyone as the wild and untamed north, but that is precisely how many of the Romans saw it when they first started setting up this border and defensive structure. It’s easy to imagine staring out at the dark as a Roman centurion, into the harsh territories of a people who were utterly unbowing to an empire that situated itself so effectively across much of the rest of the island.
The Roman Baths
Jumping ahead in time to the AD, the Roman Baths are such a famous site that the city of Bath is named after them. At least, nowadays, it is. Once upon a time, the city was actually called Aquae Sulis, meaning ‘the waters of Sulis.’ These baths are some of the most completely preserved Roman structures not just in England but across the whole world. Aside from that, a trip to the city of Bath is well worth making in itself, too.
With the destinations, hot spots, and highlights mentioned above, you can truly feel the history and legacy of the island emanating from the very ground. Few places help you feel so truly connected to the past as standing in front of structures hundreds and thousands of years old.
